There are exactly eleventy billion webinars for you to attend today.
If that isn't enough for you to think about, there are also one million six hundred and seventy two motivational quotes for you to read.
When you are done with all of that you will absolutely want to try something new in your business. It turns out that there are a lot of new shiny ideas for us to try. Seriously, if you don't think that your big idea is working out, don't worry because there are seventy million different ideas for you to try.
Bonus: Download a free checklist of the first plugins that I always install on a new WordPress Blog.
But what if instead of trying a new idea, you just kept moving forward with your current idea?
What if you had to earn your way out of your current business idea? What if it wasn't so darn easy to quit? Perhaps there should be a quitting fee or a tax.
What if the key to success is to keep going even when it sucks? Well, I suspect that is the key. Sure, you have to have a good idea right?
If one of your friends came to you today and said "Hey, I have an idea for a business. It is to sell Pet Rocks." What would you say to that friend? I would say that you are crazy. Well Gary Dahl, the creator of the Pet Rock became a millionaire.
That is nuts.
Guess what, he didn't quit. He came up with an idea and just kept doing it.
Often times starting a business sucks and there are some serious lows before success. That is true of blogging and that is why so many bloggers give up. Success comes to those who don't stop.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Not succeeding at first is part of #entrepreneurship. To keep going is the key.” quote=”Not succeeding at first is part of #entrepreneurship. To keep going is the key.”]
Not succeeding at first is part of entrepreneurship
“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” -Michael Jordan
Jordan didn't wake up one day, run outside grab a basketball and suddenly realize that he was the greatest player on earth. He was actually terrible at basketball when he started. The thing about him that is so fascinating is that he made the choice to be great. He didn't stop trying ever. He failed over and over and over again until suddenly he was good. Then he kept trying until he was great.
Course correction is normal
As you are moving along in your business journey it is important to be open to course correction. Course correction is not the same thing as stopping, not even close. For example, if you are a content creator and you see that your podcast are getting more traction than your YouTube videos or blog posts focus more time on podcasting. You could also analyze what is different between the content and add more of that in your other platforms.
Action is something that you can control
We all know that we can't control what happens. However, we can control what we do. For example, I want to eventually have 500 WordPress Maintenance clients. That is a massive goal but it isn't the goal that I am focusing on. Instead I am focusing on creating content.
Most of my clients come to me because of a podcast that they heard or a blog post or a referral. This means that content creation is currently super important for me. So I set an action goal for myself and that goal is to create 1,000 pieces of valuable content.
This is a big goal but it is something that I can control. I can't control how many people sign up for my services. Heck, I can't even control how many people consume my content. However, I can create and check my stats and pay attention to response rates. If this content creation isn't generating the response that I want, I will course correct.
My tip to you is to focus on such a goal and don't stop. This just may be the key to success.
[clickToTweet tweet=”My tip to you is to focus on such a goal and don’t stop. This just may be the key to success.” quote=”My tip to you is to focus on such a goal and don’t stop. This just may be the key to success.”]
“Don’t focus on the victory, focus on the task” — Coach Erik Spoelstra
I love the inspiration in this post, Renee. So many of us are looking for fast results and when we don’t see them, we change tactics and goals before we have given our original ideas the time to work. Patience and tenacity and key ingredients to reaching our goals.
Tamuria,
Oh patience is a pain in the butt but it is also the key isn’t it. Results worth having rarely come easy.
Blog On!
-Renee’
Great post! I love that you stated, “Course correction is normal.” I regularly tell my clients that it is OK if you have to change a process. As the business grows, it’s necessary to adjust. I actually love that about small business because it’s never boring. =)
Sabrina,
It is never boring! You are so right, if we aren’t will to course correct we won’t grow.
Blog On!
-Renee’
Oh, I just love this, Renee. And it pertains to anything one undertakes. As a novelist, this is exactly how I tackle writing one–proceed. And yep, sometimes you go off track. Big deal. You can always have that course correction!
Susan,
Yes, that is value of editing right?
Blog On!
-Renee’
Love this! Yes, there are other people out there doing what you do. Doesn’t matter! There’s room for everyone, and when you set out on that journey, just don’t quit!!
Anne,
There is room for every single one of us because we all offer something unique. The key is to allow ourselves to be unique.
Blog on,
-Renee’
Renee,
A very good article and I really enjoyed it about action and taking the steps you can to make your business better. Thanks for everything.
Lori English
Lori,
I am so glad that you enjoyed this. You are going to do great things this year.
Blog On!
-Renee’
Tenacity is a must have trait for entrepreneurs; really for anyone who wants success. Sticking with things and seeing them through until the end is what winners do. Malcom Gladwell points out in his book Outliers that it takes 10,000 hours of doing something to master it. I call that sticking with it. You have a fantastic perspective when you look at focusing on the activity you can control. Go for it!
Christy,
Thank you so much. Yes, 10,000 hours is a real challenge and a real truth.
Keep it up!
-Renee’
Only eleventy billion webinars? It is so easy to chase the shiny object; much harder to stay on course and adjust as needed. Each year, in January, I evaluate all those groups, clubs, and other shiny objects and evaluate their value to my business. I generally leave half of them behind, and oh how good that feels! Now to just not add new ones, which I am getting much better at.
Robin,
It does feel good doesn’t it. It is so easy to get sucked in. It takes a strong and focused person to say not right now!
Blog On!
-Renee’
Love the insights and inspiration in this post, Renee! And, I had my own experience of this in art class today. I was working on a piece and it just wasn’t happening for me. I felt like giving up and going home. Or at least starting a new piece. I was offered encouragement to keep going and voila…I kept working on it and found my way through it to create a lovely and interesting piece!
Beverley,
What a lovely lovely example of what can happen if you just keep going. Thank you for sharing this.
Blog on!
-Renee’
100% agree with you Renee! STICK WITH SOMETHING UNTIL SUCCESSFUL :) So many just do not get that lol :) Great post!
Joan,
Awesome. Thank you so much for the kind words here. This is the key and it is almost extremely difficult at the same time. I guess if it were easy everyone would do it.
Blog on!
-Renee’
Thanks for reviving up my engine again Renee. Not that I was in danger of stopping, but sometimes you get in a groove and you need a kick to remind you what you’re working towards.
Joyce,
Yay! It is so great to hear that this revved someone up.
Thank you,
-Renee’
This post is so timely for me right now. Even though I accomplished a lot towards my goals last year, I felt scattered most of the time.. trying to decide what direction to go next. this year I made the decision to pick a goal every month and work on it until it is done. And guess what? it is working! I am 90% through my January goal with a few days to get it finished.. And already I know what my project is for February. This doesnt mean that everything else is stopped but it is just not the MAIN priority.. Feels so good.
Alene,
This is so inspiring. It is so difficult to pick a single goal like that but it seems to be the ultimate method for getting things done for sure. Good on you!
keep it up!
-Renee’
Great post, Renee. As a dance teacher I learned that one of the most important tasks was just showing up consistently and giving people a chance to find you. It worked wonders for me, but it did take a little time. Good thing I didn’t give up too easily on those days with just a few people showing up to class! The rewards were enormous.
Reba,
What an awesome example. Thank you for sharing this!
Blog on,
-Renee’
Fantasia read and whah, those statistics are huge! We’ve got to stick with things more and not give up so easily. I know this from experience.
Sonya,
Yes, you are so right on. We gotta just keep plugging away.
-Renee’
True, it is always good to keep going. And to choose feasible goals, that you can actually achieve step by step is also a good method.
Katrina,
Yes, you get it 100%. Step by step is the only way to accomplish anything. It is so easy to want to skip steps but we can’t do that.
Blog On!
-Renee’